


Shelter In a Twisted World

by VirtualKibou



Category: Electronic Dance Music RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Music, Artificial Intelligence, Gen, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-05-27 21:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15034124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirtualKibou/pseuds/VirtualKibou
Summary: How can you put your trust in someone who never existed in the first place?When Porter awakens from a coma, he learns everything surrounding the Shelter Live Tour was nothing but a lie...or, at least, that's what the doctors say.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This AU was originally posted on my Wattpad under the name Never Here At All, though I chose to move it here (and give it a new name on February 9, 2019).

_In the darkness, there was but one source of illumination: scattering droplets of blue and white that fluttered in varied diagonal directions across the panels positioned at the back of the stage. And two people stood in the center of it all._

_Amidst the lights, twenty-four-year-old Porter Weston Robinson found himself as one of those two, playing an angelically-chiming keyboard while his long-time friend and recent musical collaborator, Hugo Pierre "Madeon" Leclercq, prepared a microphone on a stand next to him. The crowd they faced was packed with hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees, and floods of raw emotions - happiness, joy, hope, and wonder, among others - ran unrestrained throughout it. Even though he was not physically touching anyone in the audience, he could sense the auras of their aspirations and feelings._

_Hugo began to sing sometime after Porter had begun pressing the keys._

"I could never find the right way to tell you:  
have you noticed I've been gone?  
'Cause I left behind the home that you made me,  
but I will carry it along."

_His voice, tinted ever so noticeably with a French accent, flowed like water from his mouth to the ears of listeners. It was mesmerizing, calming...beautiful._

"It's a long way forward; trust in me.  
I'll give them shelter like you've done for me.  
And I know I'm not alone - you'll be watching over us  
until you're gone...oh..."

_As his friend finished the first verse and chorus of their song "Shelter", Porter felt gentle pressure on his shoulder - a pat on the back. He smiled, a feeling of serenity beginning to seep into his body, while the crowd cheered. After a brief vocal rest, the singing started up again._

"When I'm older, I'll be silent beside you.  
I know words won't be enough.  
And they won't need to know our names or our faces,  
but they will carry on for us.

"It's a long way forward; trust in me.  
I'll give them shelter like you've done for me.  
And I know I'm not alone - you'll be watching over us,  
and when you're gone..."

_Porter played a few more notes on the piano, then he walked over to Hugo - and together, they each raised one arm as the latter finished singing._

"...I'll be okay."

_Within seconds, the dimly-lit area was alive with lights, and the electronic pulses of Porter's 2012 song "Language" filled the air. The audience cheered wildly - loud enough so that not even the music could drown out their awe - and the two artists then exchanged a tight hug before going back to their individual setups._

_The song progressed, the visuals shifting as it did, and Porter's inner feeling of peace grew stronger; he now knew his life had purpose after all. It had taken the entirety of the Shelter Live Tour for him to fully realize that fact, but now that he did, he felt better than he had in a very long time. Was Hugo feeling the same way? He unfortunately didn't know that - but he also had reason to believe the answer was "yes."_

_No matter the case, though, this was the end of an era, their final show together._

_And Porter never wanted it to end._

_Ever._

_Ever,_

_EveΡ{_

_Ev#['_

_E[w1 >-_

 

VGhhbmsgeW91IHNvIG11Y2gsIENvYWNoZWxsYS4uLg==

 

**01010111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00101110 00101110 00101110 00111111**

 

 

 

 

_Porter, in an abyss devoid of any light, was falling._

_The blackness choked him, strangled him like a tight rope, as he descended further and further and the world above him pixelated away. It could've gone on for mere seconds, maybe a few minutes, or perhaps even longer than either of the previous options... In any case, though, the descent was all he knew. Nothing else was clear to him._

_Was it really true that just moments ago, he'd been performing at Coachella with his best friend?_

_Was Hugo even alive? Had he ever existed at all?_

_Was anything he "knew" real, or was life itself nothing more than a complex lie?_

 

 

_The threads of the universe were unraveling around him, but he woke up just in time._


	2. Chapter 1

At first, Porter thought the voices were mere figments of his imagination, some last-minute additions to the vivid "memory" - but then they began to grow louder.

_“He's mentally regressing!”_

_“There's been a malfunction...but how...?”_

_“Surely we can save him!?”_

His head ached, though the ache rapidly turned into an intense, searing throbbing, as though his very mind was being flipped inside out and crushed like a beetle underneath the weight of a superior existence. As the seconds passed, the void grew brighter, and the pixelating lessened, slowed down as reality caught up. Porter screamed, but it came out silent and disembodied and—

Next thing he knew, his eyes were open, the sensation was tapering off, and he was staring into a blinding light as the desperate cries rang out throughout the room. His first question was, _Why is my head hurting like this?_ immediately followed by, _Where the hell am I…?_ Nothing about his situation made sense to him; why he was in it, how he’d gotten in it in the first place...he wasn’t sure at all.

He tried to raise his head, but it was weighed down by the remnants of the pain he'd experienced and the intensity of his own confusion. Groaning, he tried to relax; however, his anxiety consumed him like a ticking time-bomb. He needed answers. And he needed them as soon as possible.

“Mister Robinson!” came a frantic voice as a figure leaned into his field of vision. “Mister Robinson, are you okay?!”

Porter attempted to convey how he felt, though it ended unsuccessfully, with his words coming out as almost-inaudible mumbles. _I’m okay, I guess,_ he wanted to say, _but what the fuck is happening? Why am I here? Where_ is _here?!_

While the figure was unable to decipher Porter's attempts, they got the message that he was still conscious. "He's alive, everyone!" they called back in another direction.

The others in the room let out a collective sigh of relief at the news.

As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Porter began to make our more of the figure’s features - it was a woman, one with olive skin and dark brown, red-streaked hair, dressed in a white lab coat as crisp as the light, if not moreso. She couldn’t have been that tall, but he couldn’t tell from his horizontal position. At the same time, though, she seemed...familiar, in a terrifying way. _Have we met?_ Porter silently asked, knowing she couldn't hear his thoughts.

The woman extended a hand, which he weakly grabbed. “I’m Dr. Takatsuki,” she said, helping him to his feet. “We already know who _you_ are, though, Porter Weston Robinson - no need for an introduction on your end.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Porter said, still trying to steady himself.

She didn’t respond initially; instead, she pressed a hand to the side of his head, incoherently murmured something to herself, then let her arm fall back into a relaxed position. “I’ll give you more information on the way to the examination room, if you're up for it,” she finally told him. “It’s a complex and potentially heartbreaking story, though, and I’m not sure if you’ll be able to handle the truth.”

Turning on her heels, Dr. Takatsuki then made her way across the room, ushering for Porter to follow her.

* * *

The two of them hadn’t been walking down the gray halls of the building - Anoma General Hospital, according to some signs on the walls - for very long, but Porter was on edge nonetheless - so much so that when the doctor finally stopped walking and posed her question, he flinched and jumped backwards.

“This may come as a shock to you, but...well, do you remember the Shelter Live Tour?”

Porter blinked, and in that split second of darkness, he recalled the last moments of his memory. Once more, he saw the lights that shone like stars, the stage that felt larger than a galaxy, the emotional and supportive crowd...and Hugo smiling as he sang their song.

“I...I do…” he responded. “What of it, though...?”

Dr. Takatsuki lowered her head. “Mister Robinson...none of it was real.”

Her somber words hit him in the chest like a bullet to the heart.


	3. Email #31

**From:** i███████@███████.net  
**To:** r███████@███████.net

**URGENT !**  
Today at 7:23 AM

███, he's woken up.

A few minutes ago, the shellcode I worked into the software recently executed without error. There's no denying it - I got the notification and everything. As soon as you receive this message, ready your weapons and meet me at you-know-where; I have to save him before they hurt him further.

\- ███


	4. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New fic name who dis
> 
> Anyway, I'm so sorry for being slow to update - life's had me busy, and I'm focusing more on original material currently. I will try to finish this fic, though~

Porter froze, all air leaving his lungs. "...W-what...?"

"It's true," Dr. Takatsuki stated melancholically. "Four years ago, you - an aspiring music producer going by the alias Ekowraith - attempted suicide by overdose. The specific reasons we've been given have conflicted with each other, but depression has been a constant in all of them. Your family was devastated when they found out...and, in order to save you, they gave us consent to allow you to undergo an experimental procedure.

"The procedure, referred to here as Rewrite, involves putting the subject - you, in this case - into a coma and, using neurotechnology currently not accessible by the general public, 'rewriting' their memories to make them believe they led a happier life than they did. Your simulation was cut short for reasons we are attempting to deduce, so that may result in some side-effects, but it was fulfilled for the most part. Everything, beginning from your birth and going up until your attempt, was completely revised, and certain elements were added or removed."

Silence. For a moment, there was nothing but silence.

"So...does that mean..." Porter breathed.

Dr. Takatsuki nodded. "The Shelter Live Tour never occurred. The song itself was never created. You never had a successful career as a producer and DJ. And your friend and collaborator, Hugo Pierre 'Madeon' Leclercq...he never existed, either."

Unable to speak, Porter buried his face in his hands and began to weep.

"I'm so sorry, Mister Robinson," Dr. Takatsuki said, putting a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

Still in a daze, Porter continued down the halls with Dr. Takatsuki; only after a few more minutes did they reach the apparent destination. "I'll give you some time to yourself right now," the doctor told him. "Assuming you you want any, that is. I can't even begin to imagine your agony right now, nor can I guess what you truly desire at this point in time."

"I'm going to need it," Porter said monotonously, shakily wiping away some of his tears on a loose part of his shirt.

"Alright, I understand."

Dr. Takatsuki pressed her hand against a scanner Porter hadn't noticed was there, and a door, perfectly melded into the wall, slid open, revealing a small, dimly-lit room. Porter hobbled inside and sat down on its cot, then the door shut itself, and the doctor was out of sight.

Looking around, Porter observed several details about the room: the walls were a silvery gray, as though made out of stainless steel; on the left wall, above the cot, was a plaque on which the hospital's name was engraved; and there were no windows. He could spot a grated vent on the ceiling, but it, the plaque, and the soft cot were the only deviations from the shine of the rest of the interior. In general, the room's aura felt unnaturally dull and even a bit terrifying, but his analytical prowess was subdued by the overwhelming mix of emotions he was feeling, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

And consumed by said emotional amalgamation, he plunged his face in the cot's lone pillow and shrieked louder than he ever had before.


	5. Infiltration

Years of trial and error had taught ███ how to run rapidly yet stealthily, and it especially was coming in handy now.

"Can you hear me?" she whispered into the implant so precisely embedded in the cartilage of her ear. "I'm almost there, and we need to act immediately upon arrival."

"Loud and clear," a voice called back. "I'm ready whenever you are."

███ continued to sprint, hopping over brush and dodging eye-contact with anyone in her indirect path, until - after a minute longer - she reached her destination. "I'm here."

"Right on time. I'll be inside, making sure shit doesn't hit the fan harder than it has to." There was a hint of enthusiasm in the voice on the other end, but it sounded...emotional, too. Without much doubt, memories suppressed for so long were finally rising to the surface.

_It must be so painful..._

After eyeing the physical form of Anoma General Hospital, ███ slowed down to a brisk walk as she strutted confidently up to the entrance of the building. She then pressed a hand against the authentication scanner by the doors, which - after a high-pitched beep sounded - flung open at a decent speed, and entered the hospital.

███ had seen pictures of its interior during hacking sessions, but only now was she inside it herself. The crisp yet dull walls formed narrow hallways, with windows that allowed viewing into other rooms interspersed throughout the concrete. However, she knew she couldn't dawdle; _I have someone I - we - need to save._

"Who are you?"

The sudden question came from a doctor, who was standing not too far away. Whirling around to face them, ███, making use of her own sleight of hand, dug into her vest in a way that would not draw suspicion.

"If you do not have all required methods of authentication," the doctor continued, evidently angry and confused, "I'm afraid I must-"

He didn't get to finish what he was saying.


	6. Chapter 3

Exhausted from shrieking, Porter lay chest-up on the cot, taking several deep breaths. So much had happened in such a short time, and it hurt like hell to think about it. _I just need some alone-time_ , he told himself. I need time to process this. _Holy shit, I still can't believe-_

" _Mister Robinson!_ "

The door slid open once more, and Dr. Takatsuki rushed into the room. "The hospital is under attack," she cried out, panicked. "You need to come with us."

Porter slowly rose into an upright position, unbothered by the statements, but after realizing the gravity of what the doctor had said, he lept to his feet. "Wait, what?"

Dr. Takatsuki grabbed him by the arm without repeating and hurriedly dragged him into the hall.

From somewhere below them, Porter could hear screams that reverberated off the walls before abruptly cutting off, like bubbles blown before soon popping. He didn't know whose they were, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. _This is too much..._

"Where are we _going_?!" he yelled a few seconds later.

Dr. Takatsuki didn't turn her head as she responded, "We're headed somewhere safe. The invader's identity is unknown..."

The two rounded a corner.

"...but they are most likely very dangerous. To kill the vulnerable...that is something only the truly despicable do. Anyway, it's not that much f-"

The doctor stopped speaking mid-syllable and collapsed to the floor before Porter - who then proceeded to trip and fall onto the tiles - could react. "Huh?" he murmured, picking himself up and moving toward the doctor's limp form. "Dr. Takatsuki...?"

His hands flew up to his mouth as he spotted the beads of blood forming on Dr. Takatsuki's forehead. "Wh...what is this...I..."

"We need to leave."

Porter screamed and jump-turned to face the direction of the voice.

Standing before him was a young girl who could not have been older than 18. The first feature Porter noticed about her was her long, light-pink hair that went down to her waist, followed by her attire - a silvery vest above a gray day-dress - and her solemn, serious eyes. "Who are you...?" he asked the girl.

"I'll answer when we're not under surveillance" was her only response, after which she motioned for Porter to hurry up.

The two ran down a series of hallways before reaching the staircase, with the girl occasionally halting to rapidly shoot someone. Porter could not help but observe the shots - there were no bullets, but blood was expelled anyway. It was...freakishly bizarre, something he had never seen before.

They ran down the stairs and soon were on the first floor. More doctors were present, though the girl plowed through them with her weapon like it was nothing. After they reached the front doors, they pushed them open and continued to sprint. Of course, they were being followed, but the girl put an end to that soon enough after letting a series of small objects roll out of her vest and onto the ground. The doctors slipped on them and fell on their backs...but, as was shown when the objects exploded, they weren't just there for the gag.

"That should do it for the time being," Porter heard her murmur.

A moment later, they disappeared from outside view entirely.


	7. Her Introduction

"I'm Rin, by the way."

After a while of running, Rin had slowed down, and the introduction was the first thing she'd said to Porter after catching her breath.

But Porter didn't look convinced. "I'm..."

"I know you're probably really confused right now," Rin told him, "but I swear on my life, I'm not your enemy. Can't say the same about the doctors, though; however, I'll get into that in a bit."

" _You killed a bunch of people like it was nothing._ " Porter's voice was firm and furious. "What do you have to say about that?"

"They were never there to help you," Rin stated flatly. "In actuality, they're the reason you were in the hospital in the first place."

"The hell you mean?"

Rin side-eyed him. "To put it simply, Shelter was real."

Porter's mouth fell open. "But..." he began. "They said...it was all lies...to...to..."

"Again, 'they' are the real enemy here. You cannot trust a word regarding your identity that comes out of any of their mouths. They masquerade malice as affection and peril as safety; the only thing they want is to torture you beyond your limits.

"Now, there's somewhere I need to take you. Please come with me to it."

With that, Rin began to walk off.

"Why should I trust you?" Porter called out. "I just met you, and you seem fucking dangerous."

_He really doesn't have any idea, does he?_

Whirling around, her expression as neutral and sharp as ever, Rin let herself drop the bomb.

"Because I know where Hugo is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about to get real, y'all.


	8. Chapter 4

Porter walked with Rin to the point where his legs felt weak. For the most part, they did not talk, but he would ask her questions every now and then - "What's that thing you're carrying?", "Why are you dressed like that?", and the like. However, she would simply give a vague answer each time before reminding him that they weren't safe out in the open, then they'd continue in near-silence.

_Unsafe, my ass,_ Porter thought to himself, rolling his eyes. _As far as I've seen, you're the only one who's been murdering people._

Some time passed, but fortunately, they arrived at their destination before Porter had the chance to pass out.

"Unlocking the bunker hatch shouldn't take too long," Rin told him, pulling another small object out of her vest. "Still, however, I'd recommend lying low in case of a system failure or potential breach."

Porter opened his mouth to argue but quickly shut it, realizing there was no point. _No sense arguing with the insane..._

The hatch - a flat piece of metal cleverly covered by the earth - eventually swung open, and Rin gave him one last look before hopping down. When he didn't come with her, she called back, "It's not even a 5-foot drop, and the floor isn't poorly-packed dirt like in those old dystopian movies. You'll be fine." Then she dropped to her knees and began to crawl, soon disappearing from view entirely.

"Bite me," Porter muttered before hesitantly following Rin through the opening.


	9. The Truth

Inside the bunker was the usual mess - the disorderly tangle of cables, the same metallic walls, and the typical assortment of computer screens. The ceiling was also high enough to allow Porter to stand straight up which relieved Rin.

"Where are we?" Porter asked, looking around.

"This is my hideout," Rin responded. "It's on the outskirts of the city, away from most of the dangers." And exactly where you'd best be. "Also, now that we're here, I'll tell you what you need to know."

Porter looked her in the eyes.

"In 2017, a few months after the final Shelter Live show at Coachella, a fracture in reality opened up through uncertain circumstances. Through it came the extremist inhabitants of an alternate future - a future sometimes referred to as Flicker - in which Shelter caused society's collapse.

"Hellbent on exacting revenge for a world gone to waste, Flicker inhabitants began to perform a global search for the song's creators. It did not just extend to the artists, however - fans were hunted down en masse and given a deciding ultimatum: _let go or die_. Those who gave up their devotion were released from their captivity at the cost of being converted to radical haters; however, many remained loyal, and most of the loyalists did not live to see the light of the next day.

"Eventually, Porter, you stepped in and - with every bit of your ability - asked the invaders from Flicker to stop. The thing is, though, they were - and still are - beyond reasoning...so instead of ceasing, they took you hostage. For the next three decades, you remained in a comatose state in a heavily-guarded enemy hospital, unable to do anything except fall under their influence...completely and utterly powerless. It was also during that time that your home city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina became a quarantine zone - a high-tech barrier prevents residents both from leaving and from entering.

"Based on information we've been able to access, the invaders - after keeping you captive for so long - ultimately planned to manipulate you into joining their side, only to brutally torture (how, we're not fully certain) you after they felt your potential had been exhausted. That's why we've actively spent the last 4 years trying to figure out how to permanently severe the connections to Flicker: we cannot afford to let that happen. Until recently, though, we've had very few leads - but we're hopeful that your awakening will change that."

Rin could see that Porter was struggling to believe her words. _Really, though, what reason does he have to? This isn't something that just happens..._

However, after a few moments, Porter's expression changed entirely - confusion and cynicism were replaced by pure terror, and he gradually began to hyperventilate. "No way..." he breathed, horrified, as he let it all sink in. "I...holy fuck...no...this isn't..."

"We expected that you might have trouble understanding it," Rin told him. "In the end, we just-"

"Wait, who's _we_?" Porter interrupted. "You're the only one who's mentioned this so far."

Rin blinked unflinchingly. "Hugo."

"...What?"

_It's about time I show him._

_I just hope he'll be able to handle the true nature of this reality._

Without hesitation, Rin walked over to the largest computer in the bunker - a monitor on the opposite wall, circa 22 inches across and a few feet above the floor. She then pressed a button and softly sang the passphrase she'd been using since the day they'd met:

"I'd rather give up and be happy."

The screen flickered to life almost instantly, and Rin - already knowing what would likely happen - turned around and instead observed Porter's stunned reaction to the image displayed amid the pixels.


	10. Chapter 5

On the screen, Porter saw the bust of a young man. He had messy, dark-brown hair; eyes that glimmered with a mix of hope and despair; and fair skin. A leather cap lay on his head, and on the article was an emblem that...

"Holy _fuck_ ," Porter cried out, stumbling backward and collapsing to the floor.

The figure in front of him was someone he had seen many times before, he knew.

"...Porter?" the figure asked, eyes widening and mouth falling open. "Is that...really you?"

"Hugo...?" Porter blinked back tears as he spoke the name. "What...what are you..."

However, he quickly got up and turned to Rin. " _What the hell is this?_ " he hissed at her, putting furious emphasis on the third word. " _What kind of sick joke are you pulling?_ "

"Porter," "Hugo" began, "this isn't-"

" _Why is my friend's face on this monitor?_ And _why is it talking to me like it's him?!_ " His voice was rising with every word he spoke.

"It _is_ me!"

" _FUCKING BULLSHIT!_ " Porter screamed, raising a hand and preparing to strike Rin. "If Hugo were real, _he'd be in here in person!_ "

"Porter-" Rin began.

As quickly as he could, Porter thrust his hand toward Rin's cheek with all his strength. She swiftly dodged the motion, however, then she grabbed his wrist tightly, refusing to let it budge.

Porter began to thrash in place, trying to loosen her hold. " _LET GO OF ME!_ " he shrieked.

"Please...calm down..." "Hugo" pleaded, sadness tinging his words.

"Porter, stop," Rin stated firmly. "Let Hugo explain."

" _That's not-_ "

Porter stopped speaking midway through as he realized he was too tired to fight with her. _Fuck this. Fuck all of this._

"Explain, then," he choked out, gasping for air. "You'd better have a good-ass alibi."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw "Hugo" close his eyes and slightly bow his head. "I'll do my best," he said.

Porter grew tense but devoted most of his energy to listening as the explanation began.

"As Rin said, the formation of the passage from Flicker to here triggered a chain-reaction of events that led to where we are now. After you were taken hostage..." "Hugo" turned his head away. "...I fell into a state of total panic. I couldn't bear to lose you, but their technology was too advanced - I couldn't rescue you on my own.

"Fortunately, the crossover of realities allowed for countless new technologies to enter our world - among them, cybernetics. One day - during a September, I believe? - after months of planning, I was able to acquire a headset that allows for the digitization of the user's mind. The price would be high - nothing of the inverse existed, so I would never be a human again - but it was my - and your - only hope. In the end, I abandoned human mortality and uploaded myself to the Internet, scouring the cloud for years and years in search of leads...all to find you.

"It wasn't until around four years ago that I met Rin. Until that point in time, I was completely alone in my journey, but after finding her, I knew I had a key to my destination. Together, we managed to find a way to shut down the hospital's simulation program prematurely - and also to insert shellcode software that would alert us when you woke up.

"I don't expect you to comprehend all this right now...but Porter, this is the truth - the truth about this world."

Porter stood gaping, crying soundlessly as he listened.

"And here we are now... Porter, I missed you so much..."

_There's no way this shit is real._

"Hugo" sighed after a few seconds. "If you're still not convinced, maybe this will do the trick."

His image faded from the screen, replaced by video of an animated girl that looked scarily similar to Rin. As she ran across a field greener than anything Porter had ever seen, "Hugo" narrated, "You remember this, right?"

Porter, mesmerized by the footage, didn't respond. And he didn't have to.

Because he damn well remembered it.


End file.
